Super Mario RPG beta shots/info?

[Querjek]

I have recently been looking for info and screenshots of Super Mario RPG in its early stages of development. I've seen the shots at SotSS and at Nintendo's official Japanese website, but I want more!

Also, I've heard rumors that Geno was originally supposed to be a Magikoopa (Kamek) character, and that he was scrapped very late into development. Anyone have any info on this?

[badinsults]

I have some old pictures in an old gamepro magazine. It featured a different waterfall level.

[TheRedEye]

Give me an approximate timeframe, and I'll look through my extensive library for shots.

[Querjek]

Give me an approximate timeframe, and I'll look through my extensive library for shots.
Well, there's really no limit to the time that I'm looking for shots... but I'd appreciate them whenever you can get to them.


I have some old pictures in an old gamepro magazine. It featured a different waterfall level.
Is there any way you could scan it? I think I've seen what you're talking abou before somewhere else but have lost the link to it.

[d4s]

check this out LOL :D

http://www.mos-fx.de/zeug/snes/sa1.jpg

[TheRedEye]

Well, there's really no limit to the time that I'm looking for shots... but I'd appreciate them whenever you can get to them.

No no, I meant a timeframe that beta shots would be published in magazines.

[Querjek]

No no, I meant a timeframe that beta shots would be published in magazines.
I believe it would be anywhere from 1993 to late 1995.



(big-ass picture)

Is that real 0_o?

[d4s]

haha, no, of course not. LOL
i worked on a german fantranslation of super mario rpg and i put it on this protocart to test it on a real snes.
was kind of difficult to get ahold of this protocart, its
for games that use the sa1 coprocessor.
in other words:

the protocart is legitimate (original nintendo sa1 protocart),
but there never existed an official german beta of mario rpg.
if a legitimate smrpg beta would surface, it would look like this cart, though.
well, without the wire on the sram, maybe.
i just slammed in 256kb sram cause i didnt have the 4mbit sram sa1 protos usually ship with. :P

[Querjek]

Any progress, Red?

[TheRedEye]

No, sorry. I have this...condition, so I forgot. But don't worry, I have "scan SMBRPG stuff" tattooed on my chest now, right under "find him and kill him."

[Querjek]

No, sorry. I have this...condition, so I forgot. But don't worry, I have "scan SMBRPG stuff" tattooed on my chest now, right under "find him and kill him."
<a href=http://www.theredeye.net/christmas/>Oh, yeah, I know what you're talking about.</a>

;)

Thanks though!

[Querjek]

I just... suddenly... got the urge to begin looking again. I looked through the official players guide yesterday and found one suspicious thing: on the page with the map of Star Hill, there is a rendered picutre of a "mastadon-skeleton" enemy. I don't remember this at all in the final. Do you?

[d4s]

i have the whole decompressed graphics set here, but IIRC, only the backgrounds, not the sprites were compressed.
anyway, wether the enemy gfx are compressed or not, i am able to track it down if its in the final rom.
you just have to show me a picture of that enemy.

[Querjek]

Although I didn't exactly follow what you just said, is there any way you could send me a set of those?

[d4s]

simple, the rom image contains tile-based graphics.
you need a snes tile editor to view them, for example fatilety.
however, tilebased graphics usually means you have seperate image
and color data.
thus, you can see the images but they wont have the correct colors.
if you want to see for yourself, google for fatilety and the super mario rpg rom.
you can of course only view uncompressed tiles with any tile editor.
since most of the static tiles (background and stuff, enemys that dont move) are compressed, chances are that you wont find your enemy although it is in the rom.
if you cant find it, i can pass a file to you that contains all the compressed graphics found in the rom in uncompressed form.

the point is:
these arent graphics like jpg or gif images, these are snes tile graphics.
you have to see and use these tile editor programs first to get an idea how it works.


the graphics are in snes tile format, you cant

[Querjek]

Oh, ok. I've used Tile Layer Pro before on SMRPG but I havne't seen much anything because (I'm guessing) I had it set to the wrong bet depth. I'll ry that other program.


EDIT: Ok, I can see some things... but what you were saying is right: the colors are off. Also, since the tiles arne't lined up, I have no idea what exactly I'm looking at. I remember running into this problem a few years back when looking at the Paper Mario textures for the charaters. What can I do to make things more easy to identify?

[d4s]

well, you get used to viewing graphics like that.
unfortunately theres no other way, since the data for tiles, colours and tile aligning is stored seperately and differs depending on how the game is programmed.
the only way to view them with correct colors is in-game.
but if you want to search for a sprite thats eventually in the rom but
doesnt appear in the actual game, that not really an option.

[d4s]

-double post-

[Querjek]

Yeah... damn, ok. I do have a smidgeon of progress, though: Blue Magikoopas. They appear in the game 3 times: 1) At Rose Way, 2)In Bowser's Keep, and 3) In the ending sequence. Oh, and one appears in the opening sequence... BUT WAIT! That one in the opening sequence is using the Magikoopa's battle sprite. Using this PAR code: 7E004876, I was able to fight a Blue Magickoopa. Can you say "Removed enemy"? :D

[GizmoGC]

Any pics of the proto version? Ive never seen any pictures other then the released version...

[Famidrive-16]

I had an old Nintendo Power (October 95, Yoshi's Island cover) where it had pictures of SMRPG that were entirely different from the original, with Mario in front of Bowser's castle and some other stuff.

I don't know if I still have it or not, since all my mags are in the garage in packed boxes. If I ever uncover it I'll scan it for you.